All Features
Scott A. Hindle
A quick Google search returns many instances of the saying, “A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.” The doubt implied by this saying extends to manufacturing plants: If you measure a product on two (supposedly identical) devices, and one measurement is in…
Silke von Gemmingen
Spacecraft are developed on Earth, tested, fully assembled, and transported in one piece by a launch vehicle to their respective places of operation. Each component must be designed to withstand the high loads of the launch phase. In most cases, in addition to complex test procedures, this leads to…
Mark Schmit
The Covid-19 pandemic has asked much of manufacturing executives. They’ve had to make decisions about staffing and operations in the face of tremendous health and economic uncertainty—and then adjust or even change decisions based on myriad shifting and evolving factors.
They’ve had to retool to…
(Wayland Additive: Huddersfield, UK) -- Wayland Additive has fully unveiled its breakthrough metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology NeuBeam, with the commercial launch of its first platform: Calibur3.
During a virtual launch on March 16, 2021, hosted by the executive team from its…
Anne Trafton
In the era of social distancing, using robots for some healthcare interactions is a promising way to reduce in-person contact between healthcare workers and sick patients. However, a key question that needs to be answered is how patients will react to a robot entering the exam room.
Researchers…
Johns Hopkins University
Since they came into use in 1938, electron microscopes have played a pivotal role in a host of scientific advances, including the discovery of new proteins and therapeutics as well as contributions made to the electronics revolution. But the field of electron microscopy must incorporate the latest…
(Thermo Fisher Scientific: Basingstoke, UK) -- A quick and easy culture-based method for the enrichment, detection, and confirmation of Salmonella species has been validated for the broadest range of food, animal feed, and environmental samples, and is ready to slot into standard laboratory…
Ryan E. Day
In an article published by Quality Digest, Julias DeSilva addresses recent declines in ISO certification and poses the question, “Does quality matter anymore?” His conclusion is that even if you don’t get certified, you will still gain from a well-implemented management system. But what do…
Yves Doz
There is no getting around the hype surrounding agile, the organizational concept originally codified by software developers in 2001. Powered by the demands of a fast-changing consumer landscape in recent years, agile’s reach has stretched beyond software development and now extends to customer…
Quality Digest
Digital transformation is the integration of technology into all areas of a business, which fundamentally changes how organizations operate and deliver value to their customers. But what does success look like in a digital transformation? Project is on time and budget? Stakeholders are engaged…
(Hardy Process Solutions: San Diego) -- Hardy Process Solutions has announced an all-new Hardy Caseweigher series, fully automated checkweigher scale systems designed to continuously weigh larger items while in motion.
Flexible and highly accurate, the Hardy Caseweigher weighs products in…
Theodore Kinni
There is no shortage of advice regarding the art and craft of business strategy. Yet, in 2019, when the consulting firm Strategy& surveyed 6,000 executives, only 37 percent said their companies had well-defined strategies, and only 35 percent believed that their strategies would lead to success…
Clare Naden
It’s been about a year since the Covid-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, and that includes the world in which we work. Certainty has hung up its hat, normality looks unlikely to return, and unpredictability is here to stay for the long term. How can organizations manage in this context, and…
Sébastien Breteau
It’s been about one year since the Covid-19 impact intensified from a seemingly isolated health scare to a worldwide, ubiquitous tragedy that has upended daily life as we know it. Ever since consumers first faced widespread product shortages of essential items during the early days of the pandemic…
Mike Figliuolo
In the first article of this series, we discussed the specific and measurable aspects of SMART goals. Here in part 2, we’re talking about the last three characteristics: achievable, relevant, and time bound.
Achievable
Another characteristic of a good goal is that it is achievable. If a goal is…
Bryan Christiansen
If somebody asked you for a list of your company’s assets, would you be able to provide it? What about the exact location, condition, and utilization of each asset?
Organizations with a large number of physical assets can answer those questions only if they have the right asset inventory…
(NIMS: Fairfax, VA) -- The National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) is partnering with Edge Factor this year to inspire students and job-seekers to pursue career pathways in manufacturing and other skilled trades. This strategic workforce development initiative will provide schools,…
(Witt: Witten, Germany) -- Witt has further optimized its leak tester “Leak-Master Easy Plus.” These popular leak testers which generate digital documentation from their water bath tests, are now even more convenient to use.
The test method in a water bath is particularly uncomplicated, cost-…
Nate Burke
During the past year, we have seen more businesses make the digital switch and take services online than ever before. For many, an ecommerce offering was a means for survival during an incredibly volatile and unpredictable time. For others, an online focus has been slowly developing for some time…
Knowledge at Wharton
It’s a commonly held belief, one that gets played out daily in organizations around the world: Employees who receive performance feedback are much more likely to improve their performance than those who don’t get feedback. But research tells us that it’s simply not true.
Typically, performance…
(Brunson: Kansas City, MO) -- Brunson Instrument Company has introduced the new ArmBar:250, a 250-mm reference artifact allowing dual-process verification of the arm’s probing tip or scanner functions. Using Brunson’s patented Low Thermal Expansion (LTE) design, the ArmBar:250 gains additional…
(Zetec: Snoqualmie, WA) -- Zetec, a global leader in nondestructive testing (NDT) technology, has introduced the ElbowFlex scanner for quick, manual ultrasonic inspections of pipe elbows in oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, manufacturing, and other industrial applications.
ElbowFlex is…
Quality Digest
(Adaptive 3D: Plano, TX) -- Long costly development cycles, "boat-loads" of over-seas inventory, and generic injection molded designs were the challenges facing Dustless Technologies.
Additive manufacturing offered a roadmap, but materials properties were weak and production throughputs were low…
William A. Levinson
Traditional statistical methods for computing the process performance index (Ppk) and control limits for process-control purposes assume that measurements are available for all items or parts. If, however, the critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristic is something undesirable, such as a trace…
Jim Benson
Respect is an abused word. Weak minds use it as a placeholder for fear. Weak egos will demand it up front. Weak hearts will use it to attach themselves to people of bluster, wishing they could be so outspoken.
We could do with a few more conversations about respect.
We can see here, sadly, that…
